Educational appliance.



iunrrnn strane ravrniwr ornpn LOUIS W. STOGBAUER, k015 BIRNAMWOOD,WISCONSIN.

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE.

This invention relates to an educational appliance and particularly to adevice for illustrating in a simple and clear manner for the use ofschools, the motions of the earth around the sun and about its own axis.To this end the primary object is to provide an appliance of the kindwhich will be quite simple, strong, of few parts and easily operated;which shows the earth with its polar axis correctly inclined to its axisof rotation around the sun or its inclination to the plane of theecliptic; which has means for imparting daily revolutions of the globerepresenting the earth about its axis, and which maintains the axis ofthe globe always at the proper angle throughout its rotation.`

With the above as the principal obj ect in view, the invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the appliance, and

Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, 10 indicates a base or standard of any construction,here shown as being formed of a central tubular-support 11 mounted onlegs 12 which radiate at an angle from its lower end and are adapted torest upon the floor, table, desk, or wherever convenient. Slidablelongitu- `dinally in the tubular support is a rod or post 13 thatprojects upwardly from the top of the support and is held at any desiredelevation by a thumb screw or nut 14 threaded in the top of the support.The rod or post 13 is made of any desired length and rigidly fastened onits upper end is a large spur gear wheel 15 immediately below which is asmall beveled wheel 16 also fixed with the gearwheel 15 againstrotation.

Below the gear wheel 15 is a frame 17 comprising a horizontal member 18having a bearing 19 on its inner end rotatable about the post 13, and aninclined member Specification of Letters Patent.` )Patented dpr. 30,11918.

Application filed August 2, 1917.

Serial No. 184,076.

20 that extends downwardly and inwardly freni the outer end of themember' 18 to the post 13 where it terminates in a bearing 2l alsofreely rotatable around the post 13. The two members of the frame 17 areconnected together near the post 13 by a vertical brace 22. rllhc frame17 as thus constructed is very light and strong and as the two bearings19 and 21 are separated some in engagen'ient with the beveled gearwheelV 16 and rotated thereby vupon moving the frame 17. Theopposite orouter end of the shaft 24 has fixed thereon a beveled gear wheel 26meshing with a like gear 27 mounted on the lower end of a short vertivcal shaft 28 stepped in a projection 29 on the forward end of the frame17 andrunning upwardly` through a bearing in a bracket 30 extendingoutwardly from the top'of the outermost bearing 23.

Rotating freely on the shaft 28 above the bracket `30 is a small pinion32 in engagement with the large gear wheel 15 and rotatable by said gearwheel when the frame 17 revolves about the post 13. Carried upon the topface of the pinion 32 is a conically shaped projection or cup 33provided on its inner side at the top edge with gear teeth 34 thatengage and rotate a pinion 35 fixed on a pintle 3G projecting radiallyfrom a sphere 37 that is intended to represent the earth. The pintle 36represents the South Pole of the earth while the North Pole is indicatedby a like pintle 38 projecting from the sphere at a point diametricallyopposite the pintle 36. The pintle 36 turns in a bearing in the upperend of the shaft 28 while the upper pintle 38 revolves in a bearingcarried on the end of a semi-circular arm 39 that extends around oneside of the sphere 37 and is attached to the upper end of the shaft 28.

To protect the gearing from injury, a drum 40 of suitable width anddiameter surrounds said gearing and frame 17 and is supported from itslower edge by a shallow conical base 41 secured to the post 13. The topof the drum projects a short distance above the gear wheel 15 and in theplane of said top is a disk 42 that lies above the spur gear, itsperipheral` edge being spaced fromv the drum L to provide a circularslot or opening 43 in which the conical cup 33, projecting upwardlytherethrough, may travel. Supported by the disk 42 in the axial line ofthe gear wheel is a holder 44: for a candle or other form ofillumination 45 which is designed to represent the sun.

Any desirable means may be provided for I rotating the frame 17 aboutthe post 13, the movement causing the pinion 32 meshing with the largegear wheel 15 to revolve and through the gearing on the cup 33 revolvepinion 35 and also the sphere 37 about its axis of support. The gearingis so proportioned that' a. complete rotation around the light willcause the sphere to turn three hundred and sixty-live times, thusshowing clearly the annual rotation of the earth about the-sun and itsdaily revolution about its own axis and the proportioned speed of thesevarious movements. By means of the gearing 16, :25, 9.6 and 27 the shaft28 rotates once on its own axis With each rotation of ther frame 17 andin the opposite direction, resulting in the inclination of the earth remaining constant and in the position illustrated in the drawing whichshows the sun shining with greater directness upon the SouthernHemisphere than upon the Northern Hemisphere thereby producing summer inthe Southern Hemisphere. A half turn of the frame 17 Will carry thesphere to the opposite side of the gear wheel 15, but through the actionof the gearing driven by bevel pinion 16, the inclination of the spherewill not change but in this position the North Pole of the earth willincline toward the sun and` summer will prevail iu the NorthernHemisphere.

Vhat is claimed is:

An educational appliance comprising a fixed vertical post, a large spurgear wheel secured against rotation on the upper end of said post, asmaller gear wheel immediately below said first gear wheel and fixedthereto, a frame rotatably mounted at one end on said post below thegear wheels, a vertical shaft rotatably carried by the outer end of saidframe, a gear wheel on said vertical shaft, gearings carried by saidframe between said small iixed gear wheel and the gear wheel on thevertical shaft for rotating the latter at the same speed of rotation asthat ofvl said frame about the post but in reverse direction, a spheremounted on the upper ends of the vertical shaft and rotatableindependently of said shaft in a bearing there` onl about an axisinclined to the shaft, a Second bearing for the sphere fixed to thevertical shaft, a pinion secured to said sphere, a second pinion drivenby said fixed spur gear wheel and freely rotatable on the ver` ticalshaft, and a gear ring mounted ou and rotatable with said secondmentioned pinion and engaging the pinion on the sphere to cause thelatter to rotate about its own axis.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS W. STOGBAUER.

litnesses ANDREW Honirrr, E. O. KinsnR.

Copiesnfrthis patent maybe obtained for tive cents each, byaddressng theCommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

